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Background and Objectives Abundant evidence documents racial/ethnic disparities in access, quality of care, and quality of life (QoL) among nursing home (NH) residents who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) compared with White residents. BIPOC residents are more likely to be admitted to lower quality NHs and to experience worse outcomes. Yet, little is known about processes for differences in QoL among residents receiving care in high-proportion BIPOC NHs. This study presents an examination of the processes for racial/ethnic disparities in QoL in high-proportion BIPOC facilities while highlighting variability in QoL between these facilities. Research Design and Methods Guided by the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework and the Zubritsky framework for QoL in NHs, we employ a concurrent mixed-methods approach involving in-depth case studies of 6 high-proportion BIPOC NHs in Minnesota (96 resident interviews; 61 staff interviews; 614 hours of observation), coupled with statewide survey data on residents’ QoL linked to resident clinical Minimum Data Set assessments. Results Quantitative findings show that BIPOC residents experience lower QoL than White residents across various domains. Qualitative findings reveal variability in BIPOC residents’ QoL between high-proportion BIPOC facilities. In some facilities, BIPOC residents experienced worse QoL based on their race/ethnicity, whereas in others BIPOC residents QoL was not directly affected by their race/ethnicity or they had mixed experiences. Discussion and Implications The findings highlight variability in racial/ethnic disparities in QoL across NHs with a high proportion of BIPOC residents. We identify health equity initiatives, including engaging with community BIPOC organizations and volunteers, and providing more resources to high-proportion BIPOC facilities to support staff training, additional staffing, and culturally specific programming. Given the increasing racial/ethnic diversity of NHs, ensuring equity in QoL for BIPOC residents is an urgent priority for NHs to remain relevant in the future.

Racial disparities in quality of care (QoC) and quality of life (QoL) for nursing home (NH) residents persist even as the proportion of minorities is significantly increasing. Staff of color are a growing part of the long-term care workforce and staffing is a key component for delivering quality care. This study looks at staff (n=60) perspectives on resident QOL through semi-structured interviews, using thematic analysis in six Minnesota high proportion minority NHs. Key findings show that staff of color are concerned about the QoC and QoL residents of color experience, and take extra steps to provide care that goes beyond addressing their clinical needs. This agency of providing extra care is a factor in burnout among staff of color. More research on how this unequal burden of care impacts QoC/QoL is important to address the disproportionate role that staff of color play in reducing disparities in resident QoC and QoL.

Nursing homes are increasingly becoming more racially/ethnically diverse yet racial disparities in resident’s quality of life and quality of care continue to persist. One reason for these disparities is lack of culturally-sensitive care and racial/ethnic similarity between residents and staff. This study examines a case of a high proportion minority nursing home with racially/ethnically diverse staff to understand how shared culture among direct care staff and residents may influence care delivery. We used three months of participant observation, supplemented by in-depth qualitative interviews with 8 Hmong residents and 5 Hmong staff to explore the labor of culturally sensitive care in a large, urban NH. We discovered four themes: 1) Culturally sensitive care was often equated to fulfilling language needs for residents who didn’t speak English. 2) Hmong staff members had to take the initiative to inform non-Hmong staff members how to care for Hmong residents. 3) Hmong staff members also had to communicate the culture of NH care and its limitations to Hmong residents and their families. 4) Hmong staff members have to advocate for the culturally relevant needs of Hmong residents. The findings of this case study illuminate that having staff members from diverse cultural backgrounds and meeting language needs of residents does not reflect the everyday practices of culturally sensitive care. This type of emotional labor can also result in higher levels of burn-out for staff of color. Additional research into what constitutes culturally sensitive care to NH residents and staff is needed.